of westminster



T. K. NORTH.

SUBMARINE MINE.

APPLICATION man 1uNE21.

ATTORNEYS weer STATESPMENT @me THOMAS KEPPEL NORTH, OF'IWEsrrM'INsTER,LONDON, ENGLAND, AssIGNOR 'ro vIcKERs LIMITED, or WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

SUBMARINE MINE.

i f' am, residing at Vickers House, Broadway,

'Westminsten in the county of London, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in or Relating tO Submarine Mines, of which thefollowing is a specification. i.I c

, This inventionrelates to submarine mines of the kind in which thefiring gear comprises a firing arm or lever arranged externally withrespect to the mine, this arm or lever, when a ship strikes the mine,moving `relatively to the mine against the resistance of a resilientclutch device to effect the firing of the bursting charge.

According to the present invention the said clutch device is disposedco-aXially with respect to -a longitudinally displaceable firingrod andthe clutch element thatzrotates with the `firing arm or lever andcarries the said rod, is detachably connected to a part, attached to themine casing, in such a mannerthat when a ship strikes the mine the/angularmovement given to the said clutch element frees it from theysaid part to permit firing movement of the rod tol take place.

:i .Y The .said rotary clutch element may itself net joint connection(the other -Inember be-` v ing1;,constituted by the aforesaid: partattached to the minevcasing) and maybe conconstitute one member lofaspecies of bayonected to the anchor cable vso that when said .clutchelement is disengaged from the part attachedto themine casing, the minewill be fired by its upward pull or buoyancy.

-Inorder that the said invention may be matelyon the lines 1, 1 and 2, 2respectively,

of Fig. 1 and viewed inthe direction of the yarroWsn these figures, and

i 7' casing removed in order to more clearly show the essential featuresof the improved Eig Lis a, planof Fig. 1 with the outer ring gear. v

'i V '(Fig. l) is thefiring arm orl lever carlriedfby a member. A. thatis connected to the Specication of Letters Patent.

clearly understood and readily carried intoy Patented July 15, 1919.

Application filed June 21, 1917. Serial N o. 176,062.

anchor cable ofthe mine. Bis the rod that is detachably connected to thestriker head, and C is a collar by means of which thering gear isattached to the mine casing.y D is the rotary clutch element, suitablyconnected to the member A, E is the non-rotary clutch element, and e isthe spring that controls the latter element. f

In the example shown thecollar C has connected thereto by screw threadsor otherwise, a sleeve C through which and the collar C the rod B passesaxially. This rod has a head B by which connection is establishedbetween the clutch element D and the rod so f ar as aXial ymovement v.isconcerned. The sleeve C is formed .with longitudinal slots c', c toreceive keys c @that also engage With slots in the collar C, thuspreventing-v l relative angular movement from taking place e engagingwith thefsaid slots c', 0"; the

spring e for controlling this clutchelement,

is interposed between the latter and the collar C and surrounds thesleeve C. The said clutch element is formed `on its. face with radialprojectionsE, 'E of Vl or other suitable formation andthese projectionsengage in similarly shaped grooves D, D in thel face of the rotaryclutch element D. The outer end of the sleeve has two peripheralprojections C2, C2 and the rotary clutchelement D has two iianges D2, D2which are separated by gaps 032, d2. The' projections C2, C2 normallyoccupy the nositionshown by Fig. 3 and in conjunction with thelflangesD2, D2 and the gaps cl2, d2 constitute a bayonet joint connectionbetween the clutch element D and the sleeve C.

The clutch element D is connected to the member A by means of screwthreaded pins a, a each having a heado2 disposed in a recess a3. Betweenthese heads and the ends of the recesses are sal-ammoniac or othersoluble plugs a, a4. The said member A has a hollow cylindrical casingor eXtension A2 surrounding the clutch elements D and E, the spring eand the keys c, c and is hold the keys in their engaged positions. Themember Aisthus prevented from ro.,.

. gles to that shown. in' Fig.' 3,-;with the projectating until it hasbeen moved axially to disengage the slot A3 from the screw 02 after thesal-ammoniac plu'gs a,` at have 'been' dissolved. A suitable safety pinA5 (Fig. 2) is placed between the casing or extension A2 and the collarC; this safety pin is slieared when a sudden pull is exerted 4on theanchor cable connected to the member A', as the mine commencestobe'draWn beneath the surface of thel water by the anchor.

Whenthe clutch element D is `displaced angularly-r a'Saresult of theimpact of a ship With the 'rng, arm .orf lever Atheprojec tions C?,Ciara brought opposite the gaps cl2, d2; the clutch element D is thusreleased from the sleeve C. and thebuoyancy ofthe minethencauses the'rod B to be retracted owing to the :fact that the head B- `connectsthe. rod to' the Iclutch .element,.D ,which through the.member A isconnected'to the anchorv cable. ,The striker .head then becomes freedfroinlthe rodzB inanyl'mown manner` and the. mine .is thereby exploded;

In order :to .enable the rotary clutch 'ele' ment Dtov be readilyvplaced in positionin respect Vto" ,the sleeve C and the clutch.elementiErthe face of the clutch' element D is formed with recesses d,d' 'midway between the grooves. D, D therein, thesel recesses havingvsloping surfaces. AThe clutch elenientDisy placed in -a` position atright antiohs-C?, C? situated oppositethe gaps-d2, d2 vand the centersofthe recesses cont-igu- Ous to' the radial. projections E', E Theclutch element D is .then 'pressed' inward against the resistance f thespringe and is then angularly displaced to bring the projectionsCi," C2behind the langes D2, D? as 4shown in'fFig, 3. Duringthe first 'part ofthis angular movement theradial projections E, E ride up o ne or theother of the i incl-'ined surfaces-of .the recesses- 0l and 'eventually'engage with the grooves D. The member-A1 isthen attached to the clutchelement D :bythescrew threaded pins c2116.

What I claimand`desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis':--` i,

1.'. In lfiring" vgear for submarine mines of the vtype comprising abuoyant casing'for an explosive and an anchor fory normally holding thecasing submerged,` the combina,- tion'ofa socket adapted to besecuredtothe mine casinga `ring -rod displaceable longitudinally relativelytothe casing,l a' 4clutch device consisting` of'rotatingand-inonmotatingmembers disposed V3o-axially with re spect .to saidrod,'4 air-ing arm connected tok the rotary member of the clutch device,and' means 'for normally holdingy sai'd rotary elementA against rotaryr'novement relative 5to the4 lminei casing, said meansv beingreleasa'ble,

so that'when a ship strikes the ring arm the angular :movementfgiven 5tosaid rotary element will free it from the'mine casing to` Vto be movedlengthwise therewith relative to said member, and a clutch devicedisposed co-aXially with respect to said rod and co-v acting with saidrotary element.

3.. A firing gearfo-r submarlneminescomprising the combination ofalminec'asing, la

sleeve. depending `therefromia member co` acting with the'sleeve, thesleeve y and.mein-V lbe1,havin,'f coperating projections thereonconstituting a I'bayonetlock--, a firing-rod connected to the member andextending through the sleeve, a ,yielding locking. device for-restraining rotational movement of said meinber, and a ring. armprojecting Afrom 'the member for turning it relatively to'thesleevelock.` ,l .4 4, A. firing gear ,for submarine-mines,

VtodiSengage fthe projections of the bayonet I j t 90 comprising thecombination oa mine cas-2 ing, a sleeve depending therefroim a' membercoacting with the sleeve,` the sleeve and member having'- cooperating'projections `thereon cons tltuting a'bayonet lock, airing-'rod'connected to 'the member! and ex# tending throughthe sleeve, anvannulus n: the sleeve, a 'spring coiled'on the" sleeve'for pressing itheannulus "into engagement with theimember, thesleeve and? member having aprojectionanda coperating recess therein and a`4 firin'garm'lprojecting. from ,the

member rfor turning' it relatively tothe :sleeve to c isengage theprojections of the bayonet loc f 5. A firing gear:

for submarine'"mines, comprising they combination ofl a InineJ jcasing,a sleeve dependin',o therefrom,"afmembr l coacting with thesleeve/,fthe sleeve'and mem-- ber'having coperating projections .thefeonconstituting ai bayonet, lock,Y a tiring-fred'4 connected `to the memberand extending through the sleeve,` anaannulus on the: sleeve, a springcoiled` on the' sleeve for pressing the annulus into 'engagement with'the' member,

the sleeve and member having-- a'proje'c'tin and a c p'eratingy recesstherein, la' V"cylinanca-1 Casing rigidly Contacteer@ 'the memi ber andinclosln'gfthe annulus and spring;

ber for turning`4 it relatively to the' sleeveto' Bmariemines;

ber'coacting with the sleeve,"thefsleeve an'd v member having'cojgieratinfg projectionsthereon: constituing ai bayonet flock, kajyfiringthrough the sleeve, an annulus on the sleeve, a spring coiled onthe sleeve for pressing the annulus into engagement with the member, thesleeve and member having a projection and a, coperating recess therein,a head Secured to the member and movable relatively thereto in thedirection 0f the length of the firing-rod, a soluble member forpreventing Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the such movement, a cylindrical extension on the headinclosng the member, the annulus and the Spring, a projection on themine casing entering a slot in the extension, and a firing arm on thehead for turning it and said member.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature.

THOMAS KEPPEL NORTH.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

